Hand operated ticket stamp



HAND OPERATED TICKET STAMP Filed March 29, 1954 .M' '18 22 EE- 79 BETH" m N United States Patent Ofiiee HAND OPERATED TICKET STAMP Fritz Haselolf, Kassel, Germany, assignor to Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs-G. m. b. H., Hamburg, Germany Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,474 Claims priority, application Germany March 30, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 235-91) The present invention relates to printing apparatus and more particularly to printing apparatus for printing articles such as railroad tickets and the like.

irinting apparatus of this type includes a plurality of printing rollers for different destinations. Depending on a desired destination one of many printing rollers is selected and used to print a railroad ticket, for example. Such printing devices usually include a means for counting the number of tickets printed, and it is conventional to have the number of tickets thus printed visible through a side of the casing of the printing roller so that where the printing devices are arranged with their ends visible it is necessary for the operator to lift out a printing roller in order to see how many tickets have been printed therewith. Moreover, other information such as an indication of the indicia printed by the printing device can also be determined only by lifting the printing devices out of their supports.

One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks by providing a printing device in which all necessary information is. visible without removal of the printing devices from their holders.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for indicating the number of tickets or the like printed with the printing device through an end face of the printing device.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a counting mechanism included in such a printing device (and being of exceedingly sturdy construction which will operate satisfactorily even after considerable wearing and even bending of the parts of the counting mechanism.

Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide all necessary information on the end face of the printing device where the number of articles printed is indicated.

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists of a printing apparatus which includes a casing having an open end and a printing roller mounted in the casing for rotation with respect thereto. A hollow handle is mounted over the open end of the casing and is fixedly connected thereto, this handle having a transparent surface portion. A counting mechanism is located in the hollow handle and is visible through the transparent surface portion thereof, this counting mechanism being operatively connected to the printing roller to be actuated thereby.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantage thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a printing device con structed in accordance with the present invention, the section of Fig. 1 being taken along a plane which includes the axis of rotation of a printing roller located in the casing shown in Fig. 1;

2,805,023 Patented Sept. 3, 1957 Fig. 2 is an end view of the structure of Fig. l as seen from the right end thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a counting mechanism used in the structure of the invention, part of this counting mechanism being shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the printing device of the invention includes an outer, hollow, cylindrical casing 20 in which the printing roller 15 is mounted for rotation about its axis, the axis of the printing roller 15 coinciding with the axis of the casing 29. The printing roller 15 has a printing plate 21 fixed thereto in any suitable manner not forming part of the present invention and located opposite a cutout 23 of the casing 20 so that a card may be placed in the cutout 23 to contact the printing plate 21. The printing roller 15 is turnably mounted at its left end, as viewed in Fig. 1, through the medium of an extension 24 of the printing roller which extends through an opening in the left end wall of casing 20, as viewed in Fig. l, and is turnably supported in this opening. The extension 24 is hollow to receive a driving shaft for rotating the printing roller, this driving shaft forming no part of the present invention. Within the printing roller is located a releasable lock means 25 forming no part of the present invention and adapted to permit the printing roller to be operated by a driving shaft of a particular configuration. Also, the device includes a price printing means 26 and price calculating members 27 winch form no part of the present invention.

The structure of the present invention is shown at the right end portion of Fig. 1. As is shown in Fig. l a handle 28 is fixed to the right open end of the casing 20. The right end of printing roller 15, as viewed in Fig. 1, is turnably mounted at 29 within the casing 20. As is shown in Fig. 2, the hollow handle 28 is fixed to the casing 20 through fastening members 30 covered with lead or the like so that the handle 28 can only be removed from the casing 20 by destruction of the fastening means 30 in a manner which forms no part of the present invention. The casing 20 is formed at its right end, as viewed in Fig. 1, with a shoulder against which an annular plate 1 is located, this plate being pressed between this shoulder and the left end of handle 28, as viewed in Fig. l. A pin 14 extends through the space surrounded by the inner plate 1 and is parallel to the axis 'of the printing roller 15, this pin 14 extending into a bore 31 of the printing roller and being fixed thereto by a screw 32, as shown in Fig. 1. The pin 14 further includes a collar 33 fixed thereto and abutting against the right end face of the printing roller 15, as viewed in Fig. 1. Thus, the pin 14 will turn with the printing roller 15 about its axis.

A substantially U-shaped strap 2 is fixed to the ring 1, in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 3, as by having tongues 3 and 4 extending through openings in the ring 1 and being bent against the left face of ring 1, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3. The strap 2 turnably carries the ends 6 and 7 of a counting mechanism 5 which includes conventional numbered rollers 812. Also, this counting mechanism includes a gear 13 which is fixed to the numbered roller 12 so that the latter turns with the gear 13, the roller 11 turning through one-tenth of a revolution for each complete revolution of roller 12 the roller 10 turning through one-tenth of a revolution for each revolution of roller 11, etc. in a known way so that the numbered rollers 8-12 are capable of totalizing the number of times the gear 13 turns through a tenth of a revolution.

As is evident from Fig. l, the gear 13 includes ten teeth, and leaf springs 16 and 17 are provided to maintain the gear 13 in a predetermined position after it has been turned through a tenth of a revolution. The teeth of gear 13 are located along a circle which intersects the circle through which the pin 14 moves during a revolution of the printing roller 15, so that during each revolution of the printing roller the pin 14 engages one of the teeth of the gear 13 to turn the latter through a tenth of a revolution. Thus, the counting mechanism is capable of totalizing the number of revolutions of the printing roller 15 and in this way indicates the number of cards or tickets printed with the device shown in Fig. l. The leaf springs 16 and 17 are fixed to the right end of the strap 2, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, and this right end of strap 2 is formed with an opening aligned with the opening 18 shown in Pig. 2, this opening 18 being formed in a card fixed to the right wall of the hollow handle 28, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the numerals on the numbered rollers 812 are visible through the opening 13. This card contains additional information such as an indication of the indicia which will be printed by the printing roller, so that all necessary information is visible on the right end face of handle 23, and thus the device shown in Fig. 1 need not be lifted out of its support until it is used since the operator can see all necessary information on the face of the handle. A tubular member 19, as shown in Fig. 3, extends about the opening in the right wall of strap 2, as viewed in Fig. 3, is fixed to the inner face of this right wall, and extends toward the numbered rollers 8-l2, so that only one row of numbers is visible through the window 18.

it will be noted that pin 14 is quite sturdy and that the teeth of gear 13 are fairly long. The result of this construction is that the pin 14 and these teeth can withstand a considerable amount of abuse and even can become bent slightly without affecting proper operation of the apparatus, so that a long life thereof is assured.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of printing apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in printing apparatus having a counting device therein, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: V

1. Printing apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing having an open end; a printing roller mounted in said casing for rotation with respect thereto; a hollow handle mounted over said open end of said casing and being fixedly connected thereto, said handle having a transparent surface portion; and a counting mechanism located in said hollow handle and being visible through said transparent surface portion thereof, said counting mechanism being operatively connected to said printing roller to be actuated thereby, and said counting mechanism including an elongated pin fixed at one end to said printing roller for rotation therewith, being substantially parallel to and spaced from the axis of said printing roller, and extending into said hollow handle, and a gear turnably mounted in said hollow handle for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of said a plurality of gear teeth located along a circle which intersects the circle through which said pin turns during rotation of said printing roller so that said pin engages one of said gear teeth to turn said printing roller and having to turnsaid gear .through .mechanism further including a gear through a part of a revolution during a full revolution of said printing roller.

2. Printing apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing having an open end; a printing roller mounted in said casing for rotation with respect thereto; a hollow handle mounted over said open end of said casing and being fixedly connected thereto, said handle having a transparent surface portion; and a counting mechanism located in said hollow handle and being visible through said transparent surface portion thereof, said counting mechanism being operatively connected to said printing roller .to be actuated thereby, and said counting mechanism including an elongated pin fixed at one end to said printing roller for rotation therewith, being substantially parallel to and spaced from the axis of said printing roller, and extending into said hollow handle, and a gear turnably mounted in said hollow handle for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of said printing roller and having a plurality of gear teeth located along a circle which intersects the circle through which said pin turns during rotation of said printing roller so that said pin engages one of said gear teeth to turn said gear through a part of a revolution during a full revolution of said printing roller, and said counting mechanism further including a plurality of numbered rolls coaxial with said gear and one of which is connected thereto so that said rolls indicate the number of revolutions of said printing roller, a part of the outer peripheries of said numbered rolls being visible through said transparent surface portion of said handle.

3. Printing apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing having a printing roller turnably mounted therein; a hollow handle fixed at one end to said casing at an end of the latter and having an end wall distant from said casing and formed with an opening passing therethrough; and a counting mechanism located in said hollow handle and being visible through said opening, said counting mechanism including an elongated pin fixed at one end to said printing roller for rotation therewith, being substantially parallel to and spaced from the axis of said printing roller, and extending into said hollow handle, and a gear turnably mounted in said hollow handle for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of said printing roller and having a plurality of gear teeth located along a circle which intersects the circle through which said pin turns during rotation of said printing roller so that said pin engages one of said gear teeth to turn said gear through a part of a revolution during a full revolution of said printing roller.

4. Printing apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing having a printing roller turnably mounted therein; a hollow handle fixed at one end to said casing at an end of thelatter and having an end wall distant from said casing and formed with an opening passing therethrough; and a counting mechanism located in said hollow handle and being visible through said opening, said counting mechanism including an elongated pin fixed at one end to said printing roller for rotation therewith, being substantially parallel to and spaced from the axis of said printing roller, and extending into said hollow handle, and a gear turnably mounted in said hollow handle for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of said printing roller and having a plurality of gear teeth located along a circle which intersects the circle through which said pin turns during rotation of said printing roller so that said pin engages one of said gear teeth a part of a revolution during a full revolution of said printing roller, and said counting plurality of numbered rolls coaxial with said gear and one of which is connected there- :to so that said rolls indicate the number of revolutions of end wall of said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrison Mar. 14, 1893 6 Buckwalter June 29, 1909 Russell et a1 Aug. 24, 1909 Tilly et a1 May 26, 1931 Andrews June 12, 1934 Kinnard et a1. Nov. 22, 1938 

